Most people do not go to work solely for the paycheck. There are numerous reasons why work is important for our livlihood. Today, I want to talk about being recognized, appreciated and respected at your workplace. We all want to get recognized and noticed for our work. It makes us feel important and gives us a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

When we are not being appreciated at work, we feel demotivated and will work less enthusiastically for the organization. There are a few things you can do to get the attention of other people in a positive way.

1. Do a great job.

The best way to get the attention of others is to be excellent at your job no matter what you are doing. A strong work ethic means taking pride in your work, regardless of what job you hold. When you are good at what you do, you will get noticed by other people that can help you get ahead in your career. Your boss will give you more responsibility which can lead to promotions and raises.

2. Go the extra mile.

Going the extra mile is doing the unexpected. It’s going above and beyond your job description. The best employees are those that go far above and beyond their job duties. They will volunteer for assignments and projects that few people are willing to do. They put in the long hours to get the job done. They are always asking their boss for more work.

3. Become an expert.

If you spend an hour each day learning and reading about your field of work, you will become an expert in 10 years. Expertise takes time and effort to acquire. Very few people will take the time to invest in themselves. When you become an expert, people will seek out your advice, knowledge and opinion. You will be asked to attend important meetings and conferences where your expertise will be valued.

4. Speak up at meetings.

Many of us spend hours in meeting each week. Instead of feeling that meetings are a waste of time, use it to get notice. Speaking up in meetings demonstrates to everyone that you are well suited for your role and ready for the next big job. Become fully engaged in the meeting by asking questions and offering solutions to problems.

5. Help others.

When you help other people at work, your good deeds will not go unnoticed. Everyone at work knows who the team players are. When you help a collegue, it creates a harmonious work environment, builds trusts and goodwill and the person you help will more likely want to give you a hand in the future.

There is so much that we do each day in order to make our work life successful. We make task lists, add reminders and download task management apps on our smartphones and tablets. However, there is something more subtle that demands the attention of our common sense, but often gets brutally ignored. What are these things that make your life harder? Let’s have a look.

Keep the smartphone away- trust us, you don’t really need to read every email, text message or tweet. What usually happens with the smartphones and tablets is that we constantly keep in touch with the whole world when we simply need to focus on our work. Relax, there is nothing so important going on in Facebook and Twitter. Plus, you have subscribed to so many RSS feeds. They will keep updating you every single time. So, stop the habit of peeping in the screen on every beep.

Gossip- while it really feels good to engage in a light-hearted chit-chat with your friends and colleagues; it is recommended that you stay away from gossip. The reason behind this is that it wastes a lot of your precious energy and often, you end up knowing and saying things you should not have. Even worse, when you gossip, you give others the chance to gossip about you. So steer clear of this habit.

Learn to say ‘No’- on a number of occasions we love to play the role of the yes man and say yes to everything. This can sometimes bring trouble. If you are already loaded with work and can’t find time to finish it all, don’t be a good old colleague and say yes if another colleague or even your boss gives you a new task. In such a situation, you only reduce the quality of your work.

Start Listening- this is probably the biggest mistake that you do at your workplace. You don’t pay attention to what is being said and keep wondering about other things. Being lost in thoughts can make you less productive at work.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with too much to do at work? I certainly have. Nowadays many companies expect their employees to do more work in less time. Here is the paradox of work. The better you get at your job, the more people will ask you to do. In other words, your boss will give you more responsibilities if he/she sees that you can handle the smaller projects. You will get to the point where your ability to finish all your work by the deadline will be next to impossible. So what is the solution? You can stay overtime and work weekends. This is a good temporary solution but this is not something you should do all the time because it leads to burnout. The simple solution is to learn to say no.

Most employees can’t say no because they want to please everyone, fear they might lose their job or not be seen as a team player. Saying yes to everything can actually damage your reputation and hurt your career.

Take time to think before committing to a new project, and before you say no, consider the ramifications. Before you say no, spell out your current responsibilities and ask your boss to help you prioritize. Your goal is to let your boss know that you are not trying to make excuses why you can’t take on the project, but you want to be honest, realistic and upfront. After you have provided your reasons why you can’t take on the new project, proposed a solution or an alternative. This will show your boss that you genuinely want to help and you are providing a few options.

So saying no is not that bad after all. You might find out that people will respect you more when they know that you are not afraid to decline a request.

When you first started your current job, you were probably excited and relieved to be employed. A few months later your enthusiasm for your job has diminished. You dread Monday mornings and you can’t wait to get back home after another 8 hours of stressful work. Your motivation for the job is no longer as strong. Firstly, you must take responsibility for this situation that you find yourself in. No one can motivate you except yourself. If you are unhappy at work, you are responsible for changing it. Assuming you want to continue working at your company, here are 4 things you can you do to change your attitude towards your job.

1. Consider what you enjoy about your job.

Think of several reasons why you enjoy working here. Perhaps you like working with some of your colleagues. Maybe you are working on a project that will enhance your experience or allow you to learn some new skills. Write these things down and read it when you are feeling depressed about your job. Instead of constantly focusing on why you hate your job, look on the bright side and be thankful that you have one.

2. Take a vacation.

If possible, take a few days or weeks off from your job. This time away from work will help you to get a better perspective on your job. Taking a vacation is just as important as getting adequate sleep. When you get enough sleep, you feel energized, refreshed and ready to conquer the world. After a restful vacation, you will come to work with a fresh set of eyes and perhaps a different outlook about your job.

3. Set some work goals.

When you have goals, it helps you to stay motivated, inspired and positive. Goals allow you to measure our progress. When we see that we are making a difference at work, it boosts our morale and increases our value to the company. Sometimes, the work goals are dictated by the company, boss or project. But you always can have additional career goals of your own. You can have goals to improve how you perform at your current work, get some more education and training or learn something new. There is an infinite number of goals you can set for yourself if you want to make some positive changes to your work life.

4. Have fun.

Work is only work when you rather be doing something else. Most people feel that they cannot have fun at work. Fun is what you do on the weekends. This is an incorrect attitude towards your job. The most happy and productive employees are those that love what they do and have fun doing it. If your job is stressful, take a few minutes each hour to give yourself a break. Use those few minutes to do something fun that makes you smile and happy. Think of those few minutes as a micro vacation. Having fun will boost your energy, productivity and creativity.